Exposing the JMS Cult

Caution: Many of the links in this article will take you away from The Truth of God's Word blog. With the exception of the links to Eternal Destinations, Purge the Evil from Among You, Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, Testing the Spirits of False Prophets, my articles on hell in the "Hell is Real" section of this article, and the articles suggested in the Author's Note at the end, none of the other articles are mine. They are provided only for the purpose of further investigative research, and I am not responsible for their content. Proceed at your own risk to these sites, which are mostly non-Christian, and some may contain inappropriate, indecent, or immodest content.

Introduction
By way of introduction let me start with a little background. On February 3, 2014, I posted an article on my Eternal Destinations blog about the Trip to Hell in pictures, full-length video, promoting the video. However, new information has now come to light that has caused me to reverse my position, which I feel is important to present here to my readers.

I had corresponded with the lead artist who published the video, and never got answers from her to some of the following questions of mine:

Questions of Mine
After watching the Trip To Hell video, I sent some questions to the producer, Hwa Bi Jung.  My questions were mainly about her Trip to Heaven video.  She eventually had me correspond with an American pastor in California, named David Baker, due to the language barrier. But I wanted to know directly from her the answers to my questions.  Ultimately the pastor simply advised me that according to Hwa Bi Jung, everything portrayed in the videos was received from the Lord by revelation.  However, I do believe that the Word of God must confirm all revelations.  Therefore, now months after I published this article and asked the questions, I would like to publicly post some of my questions here for my readers to see, which the video producer herself never answered.  

1. At around 7:07 in the Trip to Heaven video, you spoke about billions of years for God to create the earth and billions of years to create human beings, and hundreds of thousands of years to create the human spirit.

- What is the Scripture for this, since Genesis tells us God made it all in 6 days? (Gen 1:31; 2:1; Ex 20:11; 31:17)

- Why do you refer to the Father, Holy Son, and Holy Spirit as deities (plural) rather than the Deity?

2. Are you teaching that man was on earth for some hundreds of thousands of years without a human spirit until God created it?

- What is the Scripture for this, since God created man (Adam) on the sixth day and breathed into His nostrils and He became a living being (Gen 2:7)?

3. At 7:39, it must be a typographical error where it says "God, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Son, and the Messiah," as if the Holy Son and the Messiah are two separate Persons.  Am I correct, or was that intentional?

It seems it should perhaps read, "God, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Son -- the Messiah." Is that correct?

Video Connected with JMS Cult
On September 2, 2015, I received the following comment on my Trip to Hell article from P. Daley: “I think the source of this video is worthy of mention. It's made by members of the JMS cult, a Moonie offshoot with a leader in jail for rape...”

Although Daley is an atheist and does not believe in hell, he has been studying this cult for over ten years, and helping to expose it. There were three ways he knew the video was made by JMS members. First, the church has a link to the video on their website. Secondly, there is an image of Jeong at 4:45 in the Trip to Hell video. Finally, the same font of Korean script used in the video is used by JMS elsewhere.  I did not know any of these things and had no idea of the connection. In fact, I was skeptical that there was any actual connection, when I first received Peter’s comment.

Jeong Myeong-seok

On September 5, 2015, I followed up with the lead artist for the video and confirmed that her pastor is in fact Jeong Myeong-seok (aka Joshua Jung, Joshua Lee and Pastor Joshua).  However, when I tried to present to her that he is a cult leader, she denied it. I sent links to articles containing evidence of his wrongdoing, and she said she knew all about the contents of those articles and websites I sent to her. However, she said she is convinced that he is not like that. She said she is not ashamed to say that he is her mentor.  She believes that the site is a hypercriticism site made by those who oppose the group. She said that at Jesus' time, there were thousands of people who misunderstood and slandered even our Lord, and that many of God's people in the Bible were persecuted because of misunderstandings. She cautioned me that misunderstanding and slandering God's people is a great sin. And she insisted that the words in the video are only from God.  She said that if her pastor is like what the slanderers say he is, then God could not give the Words to him.  She assured me that her pastor preaches only the Trinity, and he is really good pastor who leads the people to love God, the Holy spirit, and the Holy Son.  However, it was interesting that she capitalized the pronoun “He” when referring to her pastor, whom she called the man of God, and that she capitalized “the Words.” She felt that the only way to discern the truth is by "the Words" and prayer.

I promoted that video in my article, which received thousands of page views, and I do not want to be connected in any way with a cult or with a pastor who does the things this man has been accused of doing. This made me feel shocked and saddened. I have a responsibility before God to make sure I am not misleading anyone, as well as protect the sheep from wolves. On the other hand, the Scripture tells us not to receive an accusation against an elder, except by two or three witnesses, so I needed to find out the truth of the matter. Initially, I wanted to assume his innocence, hoping these were all just false accusations, although there were certainly more than two or three witnesses against him. But after doing a good bit of research on this man and the church he has founded, I have discovered some pretty strong evidence against him.

Connection with the Unification Church
Someone from inside JMS, whom I will not identify here for privacy reasons, advised me: “The purpose for the teaching on Adam and Eve is that we should not engage in physical love. So all of Jeong's teachings teach that physical love is the quickest path to breaking relationship with God. The church has very strict rules on preachers in terms of sexual immorality. Of course within the proper context of marriage, physical love is permitted with the person's spouse to procreate. But the larger purpose is spiritual love with God. The way to atone for the sin of Adam and Eve would not be to engage in physical love because that is the root of the problem in the first place. Because people misunderstand physical vs. spiritual love, it has caused this great misunderstanding about Jeong, but seeing him in everyday life I have never seen him make advances on a woman or any questionable behavior in regards to sexual immorality.”

These teachings sound very similar to what is taught by the Unification Church founded by Sun Myung Moon, which is a cult known as the Moonies. That should be no surprise, because the JMS Church has connections with the Unification Church. "In the 1970s Jung was a member of the Unification Church, whose teachings closely resemble Jung's." This Wikipedia article states:

"According to one researcher, nine of the 30 precepts resemble the Unification Church's Divine Principle very closely."

The main differences are that:

1.   "it identifies Jung as the Messiah (rather than Sun Myung Moon). This is allegedly proven using numerology. Andrew Choi, Chief of External Affairs at CGM, completely denied this claim in 2014."
2.    "it teaches that original sin, originating in Eve's intercourse with Satan, can be defeated by having sex with Jung."

"It is also explained that those who do not 'meet' him will not go to Heaven and that any who betray him are committing a grave crime. Providence teaches that Jung is here to finish the restoration history of the Holy Trinity, asserting that he is the Messiah of this time period and has the responsibility to save all mankind, and that the Christian doctrine of bodily resurrection is false, but that people can be saved through Jung." -- Wikipedia.

There is no Scriptural basis for those teachings about original sin being sexual intercourse between Eve and satan.  The Scripture says that satan tempted her to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the one tree from which God had forbidden her and Adam to eat.

“Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Gen 2:8-9, NIV).

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,  but God did say, “You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.” ‘You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” (Gen 3:1-6, NIV).

The account of the fall says nothing about Eve having sex with satan.  It refers to a tree in the middle of the garden, the fruit of which was good for food, pleasing to the eye, and gaining wisdom, and from which God forbade them to eat. It was when Eve ate of that fruit, being tempted by satan to do so, and gave some to Adam, which he also ate, that the human race was plunged into sin.

And God revealed His solution for this deadly problem by saying that the woman’s Seed or Offspring, which is Christ, would crush the serpent’s head (Gen 3:15). The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled this on the cross.  He is the one and only Messiah. The apostle Paul wrote:

“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Col 2:13-15, NIV). Christ has defeated satan, and destroyed the power of sin. He rose from the dead and holds the keys of hell and death. The way to be saved is through faith in Him, not by having sex with Jung.

Brides of Jeong
There are videos and photos, which I have chosen not to post links to here due the near-nudity and indecency, which show Jeong dancing with women. One of them from the CBS Cross News in Korea, shows Jeong dancing with many erotically dressed women around him. There is another video of him being arrested by a non-governmental organization (NGO), called Exodus, when he was a fugitive from justice. In that video, Jeong, who is not married, is outdoors in a small tent made of sheer, translucent fabric with two women. As he comes out of the tent, he reaches out and forces down the camera of the NGO team that has arrived to arrest him.

However, there is one I would like to post here, called Providence: Korean Church led by Convicted Rapist, contains an interview with two women in Australia that were recruited into the cult to be the brides of Jeong.

An Australian woman named Liz, who escaped from the cult, explained at 3:14 in this video that the main beliefs of the group are that: 1) “Jeong is the new Messiah;” and that 2) “From the New Testament, the new level of history is being raised to something that they call the Complete Testament;” and 3) “They said that we’re in a position of brides towards God, and we’re also in a position of brides towards Jeong, the leader, because he represents God.”

Lover’s Era
The group believes in something called a Lover’s Era, which is basically what the Unification Church believes. According to an article by Korea Beat:

“[Jeong] argues that good and evil and depravity are sexual depravity, and the modern day is the ‘Lover’s Era’ among the different ‘eras’ of salvation.”

An Japan Times article by Mark Schreiber, titled, 'Love' cult snares students" shed more light on this. “The church's doctrine is composed of the so-called '30 precepts,' although it's pretty clear that they're derived from the Unification Church," explains Toyoshige Aizawa, a Christian minister engaged in weaning young people away from cults. "Jong has twisted the biblical story of Adam and Eve to deal with sex, saying, 'To atone for Adam and Eve's original sin, which was visited upon all mankind, it's necessary to engage in intercourse with the Lord.' In this case, he means himself, since he claims to be a reincarnation of Jesus.” -- Archived from the original article on March 6, 2003. Retrieved April 7, 2015.

Word of Salvation
The Korea Beat article also states regarding Jeong: “He also claims that people who read, believe, and follow the book titled ‘Word of Salvation,’ written by JMS, will be saved.”

The only Word that can save us is the eternal Word of God, not any other book. James said, “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the Word planted in you, which can save you.” (Jam 1:21). This has been a basic tenet of the Protestant Church for centuries, which is called Sola Scriptura, meaning "Scripture Alone" in Latin.  For the Bible is the highest written authority, to which all other writings must conform. The apostle Paul called the gospel the Word of Truth and said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Rom 1:16). Therefore, this book by JMS is evidence that they are a cult, since Jeong claims that reading it can save people. And it contradicts the doctrine of Sola Fide (Faith Alone), the Protestant belief that we are saved by faith alone in Jesus Christ.

Classified as a Cult in Korea
The Korea Beat article also states that “JMS has been classified as an anti-Christian cult by the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Koshin) in its 41st assembly in 1991, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Korea in its 87th assembly in 2002, and the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Hapdong) in its 93rd assembly in 2008.”

Multiple Organizational Names
The Wikipedia article about the Providence Church states that it goes by many different names, one of which is its official name, the Christian Gospel Mission (CGM). It has also been called Jesus Morning Star (JMS), Setsuri ("Providence" in Japanese), International Christian Association (ICA), the Morning Star Church, the Bright Moon Church, and Ae-chun Church. Other names include World Youth University Students MS Federation, East-West Christian Union, and International Christian Union.

The Church also has many front organizations by other names, such as the name, Global Association of Culture and Peace (GACP), which was used in the modeling show at the UCSD.  But it’s worth mentioning that the JMS acronym for the church not only signifies the name, Jesus Morning Star, but it also coincidentally bears the initials of its founder, Jung Myong Suk.

False Messiah
As I mentioned in my initial questions to the lead artist regarding her video, at 7:39, it says "God, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Son, and the Messiah," as if the Holy Son and the Messiah are two separate Persons.  It seems it should perhaps read, "God, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Son -- the Messiah."

When I researched this, and read one of Jeong's teachings, I discovered why they make this distinction between the Holy Son and the Messiah. His twisted teaching makes it all very clear, so I will now attempt to explain it by quoting numerous excerpts from that teaching.

Jeong states, "...The Holy Son is responsible and in full charge of the salvation of the world. The Holy Son is the One whom God and the Holy Spirit sent. Therefore, the Holy Son instills the love of God and the Holy Son in all people. In this way, He enables people to open their eyes to love and love God and thereby become God’s brides."

There is no Scriptural basis to say that the Holy Son instills the Holy Son in all people, as Jeong teaches.

He has developed an elaborate false teaching about the Holy Son, so that he himself may be considered an incarnation of the Holy Son. He teaches that Jesus of Nazareth was a person God used, and through whom we came to know the working of God, similar to the biblical figures of Old Testament history (eg., Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joseph, and David).

He states, "Just as our hearts and spirits work through our bodies, the Divine Being who exists as a spirit chose one person from among those who had been waiting for God and the Messiah of that time period, and God delivered the Word and carried out the work of salvation through the body of that person. This is how God has worked in each time period, from the beginning of the salvation history to the present...Through Jesus of Nazareth, the Holy Son preached the gospel to those who had been waiting for God to come...The one that spoke and appeared to people was the body of Jesus of Nazareth. But fundamentally, it was God and the Holy Son who were within Jesus that was speaking and appearing through him. In other words, God and the Holy Son were giving the Word and carrying out the history of salvation through the body and spirit of Jesus of Nazareth...the Holy Son appeared through the body of Jesus...the Holy Son used Jesus’ body and spirit."

He continues, "Jesus said to his followers that he was the body of the son of God and that God and the Holy Son appeared, spoke and worked through him...The almighty Holy Son’s original entity...was working within Jesus...Jesus of Nazareth was not the Holy Son Himself. The Holy Son was the original entity and Jesus was the Bunche of the Holy Son, that is, a man before the Almighty God."

The Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ is God (Joh 1:1-3,14; Col 1:1-19; Tit 2:13; Heb 1:8; also see Is Jesus God?). However, Jeong incorrectly teaches that Jesus of Nazareth "became the body of the Holy Son," and that the Holy Son spoke and worked through the body and the spirit of Jesus of Nazareth. He falsely claims that Jesus was merely the body of the Son of God. This is a seemingly insignificant distinction, but a very important one that makes Jeong's teaching false.

He falsely states: "Until now, we have perceived that Jesus of Nazareth is the son of God and the original entity of the Holy Son. However, because the time has come, it has been clearly revealed that the Original Entity is the Holy Son but Jesus is not the Original Entity but the Bunche...He was the Messiah because the Holy Son of the Trinity wore his body...In other words, [Jesus] was a man, but because the original entity of the Holy Son of the Trinity used him, his mission and authority was that of the Messiah." Did you see that? He says Jesus is not the Holy Son, and he refers to the Lord Jesus instead as something he calls "the Bunche." Once again, Jeong has absolutely no Scriptural basis for such false claims.

He insists that we must perceive this separation when he states, "...the spirit of Jesus and the spirit of the Holy Son’s original entity exist clearly as separate entities. We need to perceive them clearly separating the two." This explains why in the Trip to Heaven video, it refers to "God, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Son, and the Messiah," thus separating the Holy Son and the Messiah into two distinct entities.

The reason Jeong insists on such a distinction is that he claims the Holy Son reincarnated in a human body born in 1945 in Korea, referring to Jeong himself, who was born in Korea in 1945.  

He teaches, "At the First Coming, just as He came through the body of Jesus of Nazareth, who was in the position of a son, at the time of the Advent also, the Holy Son will come again through the body of the person who is worthy in this time period...Now, the Holy Son Lord has come down to the Earth again, and He is working upon [human beings] through the body of the Teacher. It is because the Teacher pacified the Lord’s grief over His one-sided love, broke the seal of love, and set the condition of absolute love that the Holy Son has appeared through his body. The Teacher, as a human being, is ‘the counterpart of Heaven.’ The counterpart of Heaven is, in other words, ‘the Bunche.’ He is the incarnation of God and the Holy Son, and ‘the bride’ who lives with the Trinity...The Holy Son’s original entity came once at the New Testament and comes once at the Complete Testament."

Referring to himself as "The Teacher", he claims that He is the incarnation of God and the Holy Son, and ‘the bride’ who lives with the Trinity.

He teaches that he himself is the Second Coming of Christ, saying: "The people of the New Testament of this time period also believe in God and Jesus. However...they live not knowing even though the Holy Son came again in this time period through the body of the person who set the conditions among brothers. Instead, they are persecuting him. The Holy Son has already been making the history of the Advent on earth for the past 33 years wearing the body of the man-of-mission of the time period, but they do not know it."

He claims to be the body of the Holy Son, and that people can only be saved by believing in him, saying, "Sunsangnim who is the body of the Holy Son and is appointed for the time of the Advent cannot be compared with any prophet or central figure of the past. The past history was all a history of waiting for the history of the Advent, and the prophets or the central figures of the past history of salvation are people-of-mission during the process. But the man-of-mission of the time of the Advent is the one who carries it out and concludes for the final time while being united with the Holy Son Lord. He is the path that leads to the Holy Son, the truth, the life, and the symbolic figure for those who are to be saved." Notice he says that he cannot be compared with any prophet or central figure of the past. That means he claims to be greater than the central figures and prophets he named in his teaching, such as Noah, Moses, David, Daniel, and even Jesus of Nazareth.

Moreover, an article on the group's website, dated May 12, 2015, entitled, “Treasure of Heaven: President Jung Myeong Seok’s 11th Art Exhibition-Put up the mast and sails” states in part:

“An art exhibition titled, ‘Put up the mast and sails,’ which displays President Jung Myeong Seok’s artworks, has been opened for viewing at the Gusang Art Museum since March 15, 2015.”

The article continues, “The Holy Son gave a message of blessing: ‘In order to successfully sail through life and sail through faith this year, we must ride on the fortune of Heaven. That fortune is like the mast and sail of a boat, the wings of an eagle, and the engine of a car. Like one would put up the mast and sail of a boat, we need to set up the Savior in our brain, heart, and thoughts.’”

In fact, the group even has a painting of Jeong as a persecuted Jesus bearing the cross.  And on their website, it shows that lots of places at their retreat center are named after the "Holy Son".

The false teaching about the Holy Son and His reincarnation in Jeong, as well as the painting of him bearing the cross, and the places named after him, are all irrefutable evidence that this group is a cult. The Scriptures are clear about this.  Our Lord Jesus warned us:

"See to it that no one misleads you. Many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He!' and will mislead many.” (Mar 13:5-6)

"And then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ'; or, 'Behold, He is there'; do not believe him; for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect.” (Mar 13:21-22).

False Teaching on the Holy Spirit
The Trip to Heaven video states at 14:33 that heaven is a spiritual structure centered on the Trinity. However, oddly enough, the Holy Spirit is represented pictorially as a female standing beside God the Father at the top of the stairs at 14:39 in the video. I am not in agreement with that representation.

Jeong's teaches that "A family in the physical world consists of father, mother, and a child. Likewise, in the Kingdom of Heaven also, the Trinity—the Holy Father God who is in the position of father, the Holy Spirit who is in the position of mother, and the Holy Son who is in the position of a son -- exists as one while as independent entities."

There is no Scriptural basis for his teaching that the Holy Spirit is female or fulfilling the position of mother.

Idolatry and Big Titles
At 3:01 in the video, Providence: Korean Church Led by Convicted Rapist, it shows a lady at the pulpit in the Providence Church, Canberra, Australia, introducing the next worship song to the congregation on January 23, 2014. Beside her on an easel are two paintings, one above the other. The one at the top of the easel is the painting of Jesus’ face, similar to the “feminine-looking” Jesus found in the “Trip to Hell” video.  Directly below that painting is another painting of the face of Jung Myeong Seok.  The lady at the pulpit is saying, “Yeah, the first song we’ll sing is ‘A Sacrifice Like No Other.' Yeah, it is truly, because of Seongsengnim’s sacrifice that we can rise to levels that could never have even imagined.”

The term “Seongsengnim” is the Korean title by which they refer to Jung Myeong Seok, which means “Teacher.”  They also call him "President Jung".  Jesus said, “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.” (Mt 23:8, NIV)

The display of images of Seok in front of the congregation during worship is idolatry, according to the Scriptures. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Ex 20:4-5, NIV).

That practice of displaying those portraits of Jesus and Seok for worship are consistent with another one of the cult’s practices, which is that of giving to Seok’s brides (called Evergreens) a double-photo frame containing the portrait of Jesus on the left side and an autographed photo of Seok on the right side. One such Australian young lady, who escaped from the cult, mentioned this at 4:58 in the video. She said, “We prayed to images like this.”

The comment by the lady at the pulpit in the Canberra Providence church proves that they are practicing idolatrous worship. She not only has the portraits beside her, she is preparing the congregation to worship, by praising Seok for his sacrifice for them. She says it is “because of Seongsengnim’s sacrifice that we can rise to levels that could never have even imagined.” Her statement is consistent with a painting they have made of Seok bearing the cross, which I myself have seen.  In essence, by her statement she is preparing them to worship Seok.

Moreover, the group displays in all churches a photographic image resembling Jesus that they call “Astral Body of Jesus”.  They claim it's a photo Jeong took of Jesus during one of their meetings in a cave near where he grew up. However, a former member has revealed that it was actually a present given to Jeong by a Japanese member of the church, who is a photographic artist. The image looks Christian to a visitor, but it reminds members of the church of Jeong's importance and Messiah role.

Three Levels of Involvement
According to an article by the UCSD Guardian news, called Alleged Cult Sows Seeds Via Campus Event:

“There are three levels of cult involvement, according to Daley. The first level involves membership in front organizations, where many members are unaware of GACP [Global Association of Culture and Peace] links or even targeted for further indoctrination; they serve the interests of the group by paying to attend events.”

“’[GACP] members are required to pay a fixed donation, part of which is believed to finance Jung's flight from the law,’ Asahi Shimbun reported in July.”

“The second stage involves a 30-lesson Bible study course, and upon completion, members come to recognize Jung as the messiah. The majority of members remain at this stage of involvement, according to Daley, with only a few select women reaching the third stage.”

“These women meet with Jung personally, oftentimes at his request, and are asked to take off their clothing for a health check meant to cleanse the members' sin, according to Daley. After having sex with the messiah, girls are often threatened with spiritual death if they speak of their experiences.”

This is an antichrist church, because their pastor claims to be the messiah.

The other thing the article reveals is that the California pastor whom the Korean artist had put me in touch with, named David Baker, is part of the cult, because he gave a message a GACP event held at UCSD.  

Leading People into Sexual Immorality
In the Revelation given to the apostle John, the Lord exposed a sin in the Church of Thyatira. In that church there was a woman named Jezebel, who called herself a prophetess, who led the Lord’s people into sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols. The Lord gave her time to repent, but since she didn’t want to repent of her immorality, He said He was about to cast her on a bed of sickness.  He said He would cast those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.  The reports of sexual immorality committed by Seok that I have read, which the Supreme Court convicted him of and sentenced him to jail for, and the video footage I have seen of him dancing in a pagan style with woman all around him, dressed like prostitutes, all remind me of what was going on in the Church of Thyatira. Here is what the Lord Jesus said to the messenger of that church:

"And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this: 'I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. 'But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 'I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. 'Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. 'And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. 'But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them--I place no other burden on you. 'Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. 'He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'” (Rev 2:18-29)

We must hate this sinful practice and expose it if we find it in the church. It doesn’t matter if the person committing sexual immorality claims to be a prophet or pastor, and claims that you will go to hell if you speak against him. We must purge the evil from among us. The apostle Paul was very clear that people who commit sexual immorality would not inherit the kingdom of God.

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” (1Co 6:9-11)

The Holy Spirit spoke through the prophet Isaiah: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." (Is 5:20, NIV)

Revenge
Then there is the issue of revenge.  The church has a history of taking revenge on those who speak against the cult or expose the crimes committed by their leader.  For example, it is reported that there was an interview of Kim, Hyong-Jin, one who fought against JMS for long time.  He once got attacked by a group of people alleged to be JMS believers. They were armed with a steel pipe and were waiting for Kim. But by the grace of God, he barely made it out of the attack and reached the police. All of the attackers were handed to the police and serving in prison. Their legal team has also successfully sued a news agency and threatened repeatedly to sue a researcher who has spent ten years researching the cult and exposing them.

They did eventually succeed in their efforts against that researcher. I learned in July 2018, nearly three years after posting this article, that the JMS took him to court, and got him to remove the information he had posted exposing the cult on his website. As of that date, he had already been through a major legal battle that lasted seven months, and finally decided to capitulate and give in to their demands. However, he assured me that the information he had previously reported was all true and accurate. Yet now that he has signed an agreement with them to stop bothering him, they have sent him to me to ask me to take down this site. Last time I checked there is still freedom of the press here in the United States of America.

Furthermore, members of the cult broke into the office of a news outlet called Dong-A Ilbo and smashed the glass entrance to the thirteenth-story editorial office, according to an article called Cult Followers Break into Dong-A Ilbo Office. The purpose for the break-in was to demand the removal of articles on the cult's founder.

The Word of God teaches us not to take revenge.  The Lord Jesus said, “But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” (Mt 5:39, NIV). The apostle Paul wrote, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Rom 12:19, NIV).

Moreover, the practice of believers suing believers in civil courts of law is ungodly, and it shows that those who do so are already defeated. For Paul wrote: "Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints?...but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers? Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your brethren." (1Co 6:6-8)

Conviction
Jeong was finally convicted in South Korea of raping or sexually assaulting five women, after escaping justice for eight years on the run and rape allegations from every Asian country he spent time in. The verdict and sentence were handed down in August 2008. There was a trial and two appeals. The initial conviction was six years in prison. Both sides appealed. The first appeal upheld the verdict and added four years to the sentence. The final appeal was heard by the Supreme Court, which upheld the guilty verdict. The ruling stated: “By taking advantage of his position as a religious leader, Jung committed heinous crimes but showed no remorse,” the ruling said. “Thus, it was inevitable for the court to hand down severe punishment.” Here's an article about the final verdict and the previous ones.

Following Jeong's release from prison in 2018, he was indicted once again in April 2023 for an additional sexual crime charge.  This article in the Korea Times has the story on that: Religious leader JMS indicted for additional sexual crime charge.

Strange Letters to Single Women
I have reviewed electronic copies of letters that Jeong wrote from prison to Sarah, one of his young, Australian brides, who escaped from the cult, as featured in the video documentary called Providence: Korean Church led by Convicted Rapist. The things he wrote to her were strange and inappropriate for a pastor to say to someone in his church. But they clearly show how he views himself in relationship to her. For example, here are some excerpts from his letters to her:

"Make your spirit come to me, too...I feel like I am in your warm bosom and your embrace of love."

"Call the Lord day and night, and converse with him all the time. Converse with me, too. My spirit goes to you if you call me. The spirit is 4 billion times faster than light, so I can visit thousands of people a day."

"Since we always meet in spirit, and our minds meet and our souls meet in dreams, we are always meeting each other."

"My spirit is always with you guys. Your souls visit me often. Call me day and night, whatever you ask, soul will do."

"You have to realize that the Holy Son and His representative [Note: Jeong is referring to himself] are precious. Only they can save this generation and stop spirits who are on their way to Hell from going to Hell."

"How precious is the Lord incarnate [Note: Jeong is referring to himself as "the Lord incarnate"], and how important is he? After I die this history will spread across the earth for 1000 years. People will just see me in spirit, but they will not see my body. If you can’t see me now you won’t see me. (People who do not see me now will not see me)."

"The Almighty Lord always goes to see you, because He is a god. My spirit also goes to visit you." Note how Jeong refers to the Lord as "a god", rather than "God."

Hell is Real
I want to be very clear that hell is real. It is an actual place of eternal, conscious torment prepared for the devil and his angels (Mt 25:41). The fire in that place is not quenched and their worm does not die. And all who do not believe and obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ also go there (Mt 25:46).  Here are some testimonies of people who have experienced hell: Michael Thomas Sambo's Revelation of Heaven and Hell, Sister Ayo - a Revelation of Heaven and Hell, and Ibrahim's Experience in Hell. I have also posted many more such testimonies on my Eternal Destinations blog.

Testing the Spirits
Since many false prophets have gone out into the world, the Scriptures teach us not to believe every spirit, but to test the spirits to see whether they are from God (1 Joh 4:1). As I have written in my article, Testing the Spirits of False Prophets, that includes checking their fruit. The Lord said, He said, "So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit."  (Mat 7:17-18).  What He meant here is that the false prophets are like bad trees, which cannot produce anything but bad fruit.  Conversely, the true messengers of God are like good trees, which can only produce good fruit.  So in order to determine if someone is a false prophet, examine their fruit. In this manner He assured us that we would be able to recognize them, when He said, "So then, you will know them by their fruits. (Mat 7:20).

I have seen ample evidence of bad fruit from Jeong and his supporters, and if you do the research, I think you will also discover the same.  If they have bad fruit, as Jeong and others in his group clearly do, then we know that they are not good. When you witness the moral filth and evil that is coming forth from them, you will realize that this is a dangerous, destructive cult.

Warning to Jeong and Supporters
I would like to warn Jeong that he must stop what he is doing, including those who support him. He will not see God's face unless he repents.  He also needs to make restitution for all the damage he has done to people's lives.

To those who support him, my message is that they should come out. As Paul said: “Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,’ Says the Lord Almighty.” (2Co 6:16-18).

Paul also said: “But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.” (1Co 5:11-13)

Lastly, I'd like to warn those who are being targeted by this destructive cult to beware of them. If members of this group are inviting you to their events or seeking to recruit you, then I strongly advise you to avoid them.  They actively recruit students, especially women, on elite university campuses around the world, including the United States. 

Reality is in Christ
I understand how one could become cynical about the Christian faith after learning about the kinds of things that have allegedly been done by people like Jeong, who claimed to be believers. It disturbs me, too. But the fact that there are such hypocrites does not mean that genuine believers do not exist and that God does not exist.

According to Colossians 2:17, reality is found in Christ.  The terrible things that men have done in His name must not deter us from believing in the very One in whom reality is found.

So for example, the term "Heaven's Rapist", used by one website exposing Jeong, is quite blasphemous toward God, because it implies that God has enlisted a rapist to do his bidding; and that God is doing this evil. Such blasphemies fulfill the Scripture that says, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." (Rom 2:24)

But we must be careful not to accuse God of any wrongdoing, since He is our Creator and incapable of any unrighteousness.  Man is the one who lies, who is fallen, and sinful, and God desires to save man from the mess he has gotten himself into.  He is the One who has sent His only Son to pay the price for all our sins. That's amazing love.

People like Jeong can say they belong to Christ or that they are a pastor, but the Lord Jesus said this:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them...Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Mat 7:13-16a,21-23, NIV)

So while the things that Jeong has been found guilty of doing should make us angry and we should hate those things, we must be careful of our attitude. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.” (1Co 10:12). In addition to exposing this evil and purging ourselves of it as a Church, each one must do a thorough self-examination to see if your own heart is right with God. Ask Him to expose anything in your life that is hidden that must go. Then repent of anything the Lord shows you, and ask Him to cleanse you in the blood of Jesus Christ. He alone can save you from perishing. Put your trust in Him today to save you, surrender all to Him as your Lord and Savior, and enter into reality that is found in Him alone.

If you are a member of this dangerous cult or associated with it in any way, I urge you to come out from among them. Break off all your ties with them. Repent before God for being involved in it, even if you were ignorant of the fact that it is a cult. Ask the Lord to forgive you, in the name of Jesus. Then help to expose both their evil practices and false teachings to others.

Additional research

http://www.cultnews.com/2014/04/south-korean-cult-jms-recruiting-students-at-us-universities/

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/thefeed/story/inside-providence-secretive-korean-church-led-convicted-rapist

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-11/the-bizarre-world-of-providence-cult-and-its-leader-jms/9224564

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/how-a-promising-law-student-ended-up-in-a-sinister-cult/news-story/67878f2eefd15e0e944c92568085d0b7

Korean articles:
http://www.cnbnews.com/category/read.html?bcode=7019

http://www.nocutnews.co.kr/news/4249126

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/04/251_349067.html

Disclaimer: Neither I nor this ministry are connected with P. Daley, his website, or his work.  The quotes in this article from Daley, and the links to his sites, do not represent any endorsement of him or his material, tacit or otherwise.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.  Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.  Photo of Jeong Myeong-seok courtesy of Wikipedia, and is in the public domain without copyright.

Author's Note: Also see Exposing Heresy, Is Jesus God?, Drifting Away, Michael Thomas Sambo's Revelation of Heaven and Hell, Godly Attire & Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?, Keeping Your Body Pure and Holy, An Open Mind that Loves the Truth, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Purge the Evil from Among You, Testing the Spirits of False Prophets, Baptized by Blazing Fire -- a Korean church's testimony, Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies, Angelica Zambrano's Second Visit to Hell, The Kingdom of Darkness, The Judgment Seat of Christ, Sister Ayo - a Revelation of Heaven and Hell, Holy Living in a Perverted World, Garments of Godliness, You Must Be Born Again, Is Obedience Optional?, Aim for Perfection. More articles are available through the Home page of this blog. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org